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Movie of the week


Buffy

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Okay, for those of you in Europe, you'll have to wait a few weeks on this thread, except for Harry Potter, which those of us here in the States have to wait until Friday for.

 

Remarkable film of this week that both me and my daughter loved: Zathura. Its Jumanji over again with some different twists, but its really good. Oddly enough it will make a good *date* movie for you teens too: it is actually *not* a kid's movie (my kid is a little more sophisticated than your average 10-year-old...).

 

4 Stars, Joe Bob sez "Check it Out"....

 

Cinematically,

Buffy

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Oh and even if you have to travel long distances, be sure to see Chicken Little in *3D*: its honestly the best-done 3D flick I have *ever* seen (and not just because you can find my step-brother in the credits!)...They may come to an agreement on terms but there are some inside Disney animation who say "We don't need no steeenking Pixar!"

 

Cheers,

Buffy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Saw HP4 first show, first day it was out. Much better thant he third, to me.

Today, took the eldest to see P&P, with Kira Knightley. Not nearly as good as the 6 hour one of a decade ago, and moved MUCH quicker than the book, but actually quite a cute romp through the classic. No sex, no overtly offensive language, no violence, just a nice afternoon with my quickly maturing teenager, who actaully understood what was happening, even if she didn't quite catch all of the nuances of "why" it was happening. If you have a young teen girl, this is a safe and enjoyable bet for a girls afternoon out. All in all, a PERFECT end to the "Black Friday" madness!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Quick catch-up reviews:

 

Harry IV: Boy are Harry, Hermione and Ron gettin' old! Scary! Like watching your own kids grow up! Mine totally related to those hormones that are starting to kick in for her... We still think Azkaban was the best film version of the series so far...

 

Narnia: Go see it! Ignore the silly commentary in the papers about marketing to Christians (if you're looking for the "Book of CS", you'll be disappointed, if you're not really looking hard for stretched parallels to the Bible, you'll never see any (even CS said they really weren't there!)). They've dropped very little from the book (CS had a knack for brevity that neither JRR nor JK ever had), and the effects, while stunning are not the center of the story. The unknowns are really good, and Tilda makes a marvelous White Witch. Buffy sez check it out....

 

Shopgirl: Its a semi-serious, fifth-story-line of LA Story. Its not for everyone, and its unintelligible if you're not a big-city-denizen. Forget the blather in the reviews about the age difference between Claire and Steve: its really almost meaningless in the story line. Its about unrequited love, and although its humourous and the ends are too neatly tied (something Steve has always had a problem with as a writer), its really an enjoyable film. Also, if you read the novella, the movie is completely different (something you're allowed to do if you're writing both the book and the screenplay.

 

Next up: King Kong. We're gonna go to Hollywood to see this one....

 

Cinematically,

Buffy

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king kong was great - i just saw it the other day. Again Peter Jackson has taken breathtaking sets and special effects (CGI) to a new level!
Most of the reviews I've read go gaga for it, but for a contrarian view, read Mick LaSalle in the SF Chronicle. Mick is *not* anti-sci-fi, in fact he raved about Narnia and all of the LOTR trilogy (so its not like he hates Peter Jackson either....). In general I agree with Mick most of the time....

 

Cheers,

Buffy

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:

 

Narnia: Go see it! Ignore the silly commentary in the papers about marketing to Christians (if you're looking for the "Book of CS", you'll be disappointed, if you're not really looking hard for stretched parallels to the Bible, you'll never see any (even CS said they really weren't there!)). They've dropped very little from the book (CS had a knack for brevity that neither JRR nor JK ever had), and the effects, while stunning are not the center of the story. The unknowns are really good, and Tilda makes a marvelous White Witch. Buffy sez check it out....

 

^

Aren't the choldren there called "children of Eve"? Wasn't it C.S Lewis' purpose to integrate christianity and mythology?

But I agree as it is supposed to be a book for kids Narnia is sure less religious than the "Cosmic trilogy", which is a very interesting reading but also the most religous non-religious book I ever read.

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  • 3 months later...

She's the Man: Okay, first off, its a tweener chick-flick. Its rated PG-13, I *think* because of a hilarious tampon joke at the beginning that had us girls rolling in the aisles, although I can imagine a few dads having pretty uncomfortable trips home with their kids... There is off-screen nudity, but that can't be it...I think. I tell ya, I *really* am amazed at the *prudes* at the MPAA. My kid certainly didn't have a problem with it...

 

Anyway, its really good, as long as you go for this sort of thing. Amanda Bynes is an *amazing* actress: comedic acting does not get the appreciation it deserves, and she's a *master* at it. Comparisons to Lucy are perfectly valid.

 

The story is an adatation of Shakey's "Twelfth Night", so it does not suffer from the aimlessness and repetition thats so common in movies these days. The "new" material--like the tampon joke and the really strange things that come out of the headmaster's mouth--really is creative.

 

Four stars, one soccer ball to the crotch, two off-screen breasts, one off-screen penis, 4 no-tongue smooches, Joe Buffy sez, check it out.

 

Let's play some football like a bunch of girls!

Buffy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ice Age: The Meltdown Kids will like this one, its got the jokes, and its worth it for the price of the squirrel and his acorn (although Twitchy in Hoodwinked is still way better according to me and the kid). We didn't think it was as good as the first Ice Age, but its fine family fare, and we both gave it a 7.5.

 

Now the interesting thing is that with all the kerfuffle about the religious overtones in Narnia, this one's got 'em in spades too: there's an ark and the "rapture" scene at the end is pretty blatant. But before you assume this thing has been infiltrated by religious zealots, realize that its really pretty neutral, although some of it (like the last scene) actually borders on parody. I liked it *because* it was neutral and accepting. Cool. Its very un-conservative though because the real bad guy in this picture (and this shouldn't be much of a spoiler), is global warming. If you think that denial of global warming is a family value, skip this movie.

 

No chopped off heads, no breasts, furry but anotomically androgenous nekkid animals. Mammoth longing. Three stars. Joe Buffy sez, check it out.

 

He puts the 'stink' in extinction, :phones:

Buffy

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  • 1 month later...

Stick It: Gosh we girls are going to bore you boys to death with all these reviews of tween-girl movies...anyway, as the writer/director Jessica Bendinger has a "style" and has learned to "stick with it", she's basically remade her earlier "Bring It On" but without heavyweights like Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku (she also did "Aquamarine" released earlier this year which was a little different, but we liked that one too). This one has a bunch of nobodies in it except for Jeff Bridges who is wonderful even if he spends the entire movie chewing gum.

 

The script has major flaws--we agree with the critics that the stupid set up with former child star gone bad "sentenced" to competing in A-level gymnasitics was over-the-top-silly--but the dialog is snappy and the ending--which is total fantasy--is fun to imagine (hint but no spoilers, "Stick It" turns out to be a double entendre).

 

Boys may like it as a decent date movie (there's *no* reason for the PG-13, but the rating may entice some teens), and the girls can be drooled over by either sex (I want Missy Peregrym's abs!).

 

Minor smooch, no breasts, brastrap snapping, leotard gluing, two fingers substituting for single middle fingers. Three stars. Joe Buffy sez, "check it out."

 

Frank: Dude! She's a *****!

Joanne: You think I'm a *****?

Poot: No.... well, yes. But I don't have the problem with it that he does!

 

The fact that she can even say the word "college" is an affront to the entire institution, :hihi:

Buffy

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Stick It sounds like a waste of money. :hihi:
Well, its definitely not one I'd recommend for *you* Rac...This week your best bet is to go rent Aeon Flux... :shrug:

 

This is a bad idea. You're going to give yourself a cardiovasectomy! :hihi:

Buffy

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Charlize gets stuck with good girl parts and she does those just fine (we actually really liked Mighty Joe Young), but in order to understand she's not just another pretty face, you got to look at her edgy parts. Monster was good, but the one I've always *really* liked was Reindeer Games....

 

When I get in there you better be wearing nothing but a candy cane! :confused:

Buffy

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  • 1 month later...

"Cars" So what if its rated G? This is a fun movie, good for car buffs, art buffs, history buffs, conservationists, oil company CEOs, and kids of all ages. Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, and Bonnie Hunt are all great, but Larry the Cable Guy steals the show (we hated his movie, although my daughter loves his standup and Blue Collar bits). Close second is Tony Shalhoub as Luigi the Ferrari-loving tire dealer. Cameos by Darrell Waltrip and Dale Jr. are much better than your average cameo too.

 

The real beauty of this film is the artists at Pixar. Not only is the latest 3d animation incredible (hackers note: check out how many levels of ray tracing they're doing these days!!!), but the research that went into every car and background will leave car buffs, geology buffs, history buffs and art buffs in awe. It really begs going to see it 3 or 4 times just to catch all the stuff that they've done with the rocks. And as my kid said as we were driving out a remote highway near Mono Lake yesterday, "this looks *exactly* like the movie!" (which according to my sources, was an area used as source material). Homage is paid to everyone: "Richard Petty car" is the Plymouth Superbird, the "Cadillac Range" is...well, won't give that one away...and on and on and on...

 

Oh and do *not* leave before watching *all* the credits!!!!

 

Absolutely nothing offensive. Nice plot twists. Hollywood ending that's satisfying. Four Stars. Joe Buffy sez check it out.

 

Lightning McQueen: How does a Porsche wind up in a place like this?

Sally: I fell in love.

Lightning McQueen: [disappointed] Oh... Corvette?

 

Filmore: [looking at a stoplight] I'm tellin' you man, every third blink is slower!

Sarge: [looks Fillmore up and down] The sixties weren't good to ya, were they?

 

Sally: Hey there Mater.

Lightning McQueen: [to Mater] You know her?

Mater: She's my fiancée.

Lightning McQueen: What?

Mater: [nudges McQueen playfully] I'm just kiddin'. She jus' likes me for my body.

 

Holy Porsche... :phones:

Buffy

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